I loved everything about my life. My family was amazing. My mom, Kelly, and my dad, John, had that forever kind of love. They had the love that made everyone else jealous; the kind where they kiss everyday and dance in the rain. Where they can't be without each other without feeling like they are missing their other half. And that love only extended to my siblings and me.

I was born on October 3, 1998. My parents said it was the happiest day because they new their love for each other was expanding to a new generation. I was named Adelaine because of my Mom. She claimed every little girl should have an I in their name, so they can write the dot as a heart and that it's crucial for everyone to have a great nickname. That's where Lainey came from. I was their whole world for 4 years, and then my brother came along.

I remember Wyatt as a baby. He was loud and always hungry, but I loved him immediately. I was so happy to have a friend and was never worried about not having my parents, because I knew with each child their love only grew. And that it did. 6 years later, the twins were born: Dylan and Katie. Wyatt used to say they were accidents, but Mom would always hit him playfully and say "All of my children are wonderful gifts from God," while Dad just stood there and smiled. After the twins were born, my mom couldn't have any more children, but that's ok because we were happy and everyone was unconditionally loved.

Growing up, our parents taught us everything we needed to know to be good people. My dad taught the boys how to be gentlemen and my mom taught the girls to be ladies. They ingrained into our brains the need to always be kind and show compassion towards others; that you never know what someone is going through, so don't be the reason their life gets even harder. But most of all, they taught us about family and how we must all stick together and protect each other. Little did I know, that this lesson would be the greatest factor in my life.

December 21st, 2012 was the day my life fell apart. I remember everything about that night so vividly. My parents were getting ready for one of my dad's mandatory business dinners and told me I had to babysit my siblings. I was mad because I had planned to go out with my friends that night. I was complaining so much about how I didn't want to and I can still recall what my father said to me: "Family is the most important thing in this life. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices to help them. Although you are just babysitting tonight, you need to always remember this, Princess. Your family is something that is always worth fighting for; it doesn't matter what you have to go through, if it involves your family, you should never give up. I love you my sweet girl. I want you to promise me to always protect your siblings and act as how your mother and I have taught you."

At the time, his words and my promise meant nothing, as I was too frustrated to fully understand them, but they stuck with me for the rest of my life. Those were the last words my father said to me. My parents were driving back from dinner and decided to stop and pick up my favorite dessert as a treat for watching my siblings. They never should have been on that road, but they were, and it cost them their lives. My dad didn't see the deer until it was too late and the roads were too icy to fix the spinning wheels. A passerby saw their flipped car, but they died before the paramedics got there. They were found holding hands and with my mother clutching the picture of Katie, Dylan, Wyatt, and me between their clasped hands.

I never could have guessed how much my life would change with the death of my parents. No one warned me how quickly I would have to grow up to keep my promise to my father.